Chapter Text
Jayce often felt that something immense was missing in his life, and it never felt more apparent than when he was surrounded by acquaintances at Piltover University.
“I heard that the exchange student from Czechia got in because he gave the dean a blowie.” one of the boys remarked. Jayce rolled his eyes, a familiar sense of disgust settling in his chest.
“I heard that he’ll do it for anyone that asks,” another one added.
Jayce said nothing, but he clenched his fists under the table. Jayce enjoyed his friends’ company, but their thoughts were shallow and lacked the intelligence that Jayce desperately craved.
He needed something more. Someone more.
“Exchange student from Czechia?” Jayce asked. “I didn’t know there was someone new.” His friends glanced at him like he just admitted to thinking the world was flat.
“Yeah, dude. It’s all anyone’s been talking about.”
Heat crept up his neck. Of course it was. Jayce was always too buried in the lab to notice trivial things like campus gossip.
The conversation continued for a few more minutes before Jayce silently excused himself. As he made his way across campus, he heard fragments of the same dehumanizing conversation repeated over and over.
As an immigrant himself, Jayce knew how difficult it was to acclimate to a new country, a new culture.
He made sure to shoot particularly cold looks at passing groups before continuing his path to class.
It took him about 5 minutes to reach advanced chemistry. A handful of students were already in their seats. Jayce slipped into a front-row desk, slightly out of breath, and glanced around the room.
Not one person stood out. There wasn’t a single person he could see having as a lab partner.
He sighed and pulled out a notebook when a soft tap, tap echoed from the doorway. Jayce looked up and stilled.
The man entering the room was unfamiliar. In two years on campus, Jayce was certain that he should have recognized him.
It was the exchange student.
He was lean, almost wiry. Tall, perhaps, though his posture curved inward slightly. He carried a cane that tapped against the floor with each step. His brown hair fell loosely against his forehead, framing his sharp cheekbones and tense jaw.
He wore muted colors: brownish-grey trousers, a red long-sleeved shirt, and a blue-and-white vest. Despite the colors, nothing about him felt dull. His sharp, amber eyes swept across the room, assessing, calculating.
Jayce was stricken by the man’s appearance.
There was something guarded about him. Closed off, yet undeniably self-possessed. Intelligent in a way that felt almost tangible.
Jayce’s mind flickered back to what his friends had said. It all felt absurd now. Completely disconnected from the man that stood in front of him.
He didn’t even realize the man had approached him until a stack of books slammed on the desk beside him with a loud thud. Jayce flinched slightly, looking up.
The man was watching him. Closely.
“I am sitting here.” His accent was thick. Every word was deliberate. He didn’t wait before sitting.
“Yeah, that’s fine!” Jayce responded quickly. “I’m Jayce, by the way.”
A quiet hum. Nothing more. Not even a glance his way.
Jayce pressed on anyway. “What’s your name?”
The man glanced at Jayce briefly before looking down at a piece of paper in his hand.
“It’s Viktor.”
The words came out flat, dripping with irritation. Right. So, this was how it was going to be. He glanced away to mask his disappointment, but his gaze found its way to Viktor’s leg. He couldn’t help but wonder…
“I was born this way.”
Jayce’s face burned. He jerked his head away, suddenly very interested in his notebook.
Jayce hesitated, words forming in his throat… then the professor began class, and the moment shattered.
The professor explained the syllabus in annoyingly great detail. Jayce doodled rather than listening.
“As you know, this is a lab-based course, and because of limited lab availability, I will assign you a lab partner for the semester,” the professor announced.
Jayce’s hand froze mid-doodle.
He glanced sideways as Viktor’s hand clenched around his pencil, his jaw tightening.
“Let's see…” the professor studied the room, shuffling the papers in his hands. “How about Jayce Talis and Viktor Novák.”
Viktor gripped his pencil until his knuckles turned white. He sat as still as a statue, glancing at Jayce only briefly.
Jayce’s lips curled up into a warm smile. Viktor's brows drew together.
“So, it looks like we're partners,” Jayce said, straightening his posture. His smile widened.
Viktor looked him up and down. His lips pursed. He nodded once, then looked back towards the front of the class.
“Yes, I suppose we are.” His long, slender fingers tapped idly on the desk.
Jayce’s smile faltered. He tilted his head, brows furrowing, and he went back to his doodles.
Normally, attention and praise followed him everywhere, yet Viktor wouldn't glance his way. The indifference felt foreign, uncomfortable even.
Jayce cleared his throat and nudged Viktor with his foot. Viktor's head snapped around, and he raised an eyebrow. When Jayce didn't speak again, Viktor made a “go on” gesture with his hands.
“Oh!” His voice stumbled. “I was just thinking that… we're partners now, and we should have a way to communicate with each other. I can give you my phone number.”
Viktor's eyes widened slightly. He blinked once. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He shook his head.
“Not necessary. We will see each other in class.” He looked away again.
Jayce’s jaw tightened, and he leaned back, hands clenched at his sides. He inhaled slowly, forcing his voice to steady.
“Sure, but it's much more convenient to text outside of class. Also, what if we need to meet up for a project or something?”
Viktor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked back at Jayce. His amber eyes sharpened. Cold. Unwavering. Viktor’s hand rubbed at his thigh again.
“No.”
Jayce breathed out sharply. He shook his head, looking towards his papers.
“Americans…” Jayce heard Viktor mutter.
Jayce whipped his head around. This time, he frowned and straightened in his seat.
“Okay. I'm not American, so don't assume things.” His voice was colder than he meant, words slicing through the quiet.
Viktor stilled. A faint pink dusted his cheeks. He quietly muttered “sorry” before looking down at his papers.
Jayce’s leg bounced under the table. He rubbed his face and sighed, trying to focus on his doodles, but Viktor's presence drew his attention like a magnet.
Viktor shifted in his seat, rubbing his right thigh. He wet his lips carefully, yet his eyes never met Jayce.
~~~~~~~
Jayce wrote his number on a slip of paper anyway. He bit his lip, letting the piece of paper hover between them. He knew that Viktor had said no, and that he should respect it. Instead, his fingers stayed on the paper, pulse thudding in his ears. Viktor’s coldness was raw, unfiltered, unlike the fake admiration Jayce got from everyone else. For the first time in his life, someone felt substantial. He couldn’t let this slip away.
Class was almost over. He wouldn't see Viktor again until Thursday. With a shallow breath, he set the slip of paper on Viktor's desk, avoiding his gaze.
“What is this?” Viktor's words cut sharply.
“My phone number.” Jayce briefly lifted his eyes to meet Viktor's. The gaze remained unreadable, fixed on the paper.
Viktor finally met Jayce’s gaze, something sharp settling across his features. His lips pressed into a thin line, fingers drumming against the desk as his jaw tightened.
“Unnecessary. I told you this before…Was I unclear?” Viktor exhaled sharply through his nose, pressing his fingers to his eyes and rubbing. His left leg bounced under the table.
Jayce sighed loudly and slumped his shoulders.
“I don't understand,” Jayce said finally. “Everyone else gets their lab partner's phone number. So why not you?”
Viktor glanced at Jayce, something softer flickered in his eyes. He tapped his pencil on the desk a few times.
Suddenly, his face darkened again. He snatched his bag and stood up as soon as class was dismissed. He whipped around. “I do not have a phone,” he said, voice tight, and left class without another word.
Jayce blinked.
Oh.
That thought hadn’t even crossed his mind.
His shoulders relaxed as the reality of Viktor’s words set in, and he said nothing. He didn’t follow Viktor.
Jayce looked at the table. The note with the phone number was still there. Jayce picked it up, crumpled it in his fist, and dropped it in the trash.
~~~~~~~
Jayce decided to stop at a coffee shop after class. He ordered a vanilla latte without thinking. He barely tasted it. He set the coffee down and rested his head in his hands.
The sound of a bell ringing startled him. He looked up and saw Viktor walking in. The conversation from class rushed back all at once. Heat crept up his neck, and he quickly looked away, trying to remain unseen.
Viktor ordered a black coffee and turned around. He momentarily froze when he saw Jayce, his hand tightening around his coffee. His eyes scanned the room, then stopped. His jaw set. After a brief moment of hesitation, he made his way to Jayce’s table, each step was deliberate. Viktor cleared his throat, and Jayce glanced up at him.
“Is this seat taken?” Viktor asked.
Jayce blinked once, the words catching in his throat. Not trusting his voice, he shook his head and gestured towards the empty chair. Viktor sat, posture straight, shoulders tense.
They sipped their coffee in silence.
Jayce picked at a loose strand on his sleeve. Viktor stared into his coffee. Neither of them looked up.
“I'm sorry for being pushy in class,” Jayce said quietly.
Viktor glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Something in his shoulders eased, if only slightly.
“...I see,” Viktor looked back down at his coffee, licking his lips and letting out a slow breath. “I was… unkind.”
Jayce paused, glancing at Viktor, who refused to make eye contact. He smiled a little, the grip on his coffee loosening. Something began to bubble in his chest that he didn’t quite understand.
“How about we start over?” Jayce extended his hand for a handshake. “I’m Jayce Talis, what about you?”
Viktor stared at Jayce’s hand as if unsure what to do with it. For a moment, Viktor didn’t move. Jayce’s lips pressed into a thin line, eyes darting around, avoiding looking at him. Viktor frowned and looked back up at Jayce.
“No need for formalities, Jayce.” Viktor spoke quickly, his hands clenching against the table. Jayce lowered his hand slowly. The tenseness in Viktor’s jaw and his cold eyes reappeared.
Viktor stood slowly, gripping his cane with his left hand, his coffee with the other. His lips curled into the faintest smile though the tension in his face remained. His eyes met Jayce’s, and they held the gaze for longer than before.
“Goodbye, Jayce.” He turned and left the coffee shop before Jayce could respond. Warmth spread through Jayce’s chest and he masked his smile by sipping his coffee.
Jayce froze when he saw a slip of paper left on the table. He grabbed it and his breath caught. On the paper was an email address.
Viktor’s email address.
When had Viktor left it, and how did Jayce miss it?
He quickly saved the email address in his phone. Jayce found his breath and smiled wide. He looked the note over, observing Viktor’s handwriting. The writing was elegant and thought through, as if Viktor had put extra care into each letter and number.
Jayce had an urge to immediately email Viktor, but he fought the urge. Viktor would most likely use the public computers on campus, and it would be hours before Viktor would have a chance to reply.
Instead, he threw his empty coffee away and walked out of the coffee shop. He couldn’t explain it, but for the first time, the semester didn’t feel like something to get through.